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Matthew Holt

Mount, Foden, Watkins and Gomes: The winners and losers following Thomas Tuchel's England appointment

Winners and losers of Thomas Tuchel's England appointment.

A proven winner and whether you like it or not, Thomas Tuchel is the new England manager.

The 51-year-old has signed an 18-month contract with the FA and will begin work in January 2025. Tasked ultimately with helping England end their wait for a major trophy win, the former Chelsea boss has quite the job on his hands.

Managing expectations, dealing with wholesale media pressure, whilst also finding the correct formula for England's golden generation that leads to success, can Tuchel deliver for the Three Lions?

Who are the biggest winners from Thomas Tuchel's appointment as England manager?

Thomas Tuchel and Reece James during their time together at Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)

Reece James is the first name that springs to mind, given his terrific form under Tuchel during Chelsea's UEFA Champions League success back in 2021. The same could be said for Ben Chilwell, who hasn't played for England since March.

The pair were heavily utilised during Tuchel's successful spell at Stamford Bridge, and if he opts to use a three-at-the-back system, you could make a strong case for the Blues pair to make a return to the England fold in the near future.

Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane (Image credit: Getty Images)

Harry Kane will have no fears over his position as England's go-to man in attack, given he worked so carefully with Tuchel at Bayern Munich. The 51-year-old invested heavily in making sure he arrived at the Allianz Arena in the summer of 2023.

Another potential winner could be Mason Mount. The Manchester United midfielder has suffered horrid luck with injuries since his move to Old Trafford, but a run in the team could reignite talks of a relationship with his former Chelsea boss Tuchel in the England set-up.

Callum Hudson-Odoi has done well since his move to Nottingham Forest and is another interesting player that Tuchel is known to have taken a shine to in the past.

“He is able to play as a right wing-back, left wing-back, he can play in these extra positions, he knows the group and we know him very well,” Tuchel said back in 2021. Could the Nottingham Forest man unlock a new option altogether for England?

In FourFourTwo's view, it does seem unlikely that Hudson-Odoi may be asked to play in a position he stated he did not enjoy. The 23-year-old is, however, thriving with the Tricky Trees and his relationship with the German could come in handy.

Jordan Pickford has been arguably the most impressive performer under Southgate's era, but is it now time for a change? We all know Tuchel loves a goalkeeper comfortable in possession, so could Dean Henderson or even Nick Pope get the nod?

Who could be the losers from Thomas Tuchel's appointment?

Ollie Watkins scores against the Dutch at Euro 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Ollie Watkins instantly springs to mind, given the obsession Tuchel had with Kane at the Allianz Arena. Despite his electric form for Aston Villa over the last two seasons, the former Brentford man could now see his chances limited.

Phil Foden is another name who could be at risk. Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jack Grealish and Anthony Gordon are all knocking on the door in attacking areas, and with his best position at international level still unknown, is it time the experiment with Foden now ends? Tuchel has never really favoured a false nine, either.

Kyle Walker looked off the mark for large parts of the European Championships in Germany this summer and Angel Gomes was also a huge facet of the Lee Carsley experiment. Both will await their fate patiently.

Finally, are Manchester United considered a loser in this situation? Should things continue to turn sour at Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag could be axed and then who will INEOS turn to for their backup plan? Is it time for the Ruud van Nistelrooy experiment to kick into gear?

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